Bangladesh

Bangladesh is found in southern Asia. Bangladesh borders India, Myanmar, and the Bay of Bengali. Unfortunately, high rainfall and Bangladesh's location in the floodplains of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers result in frequent and sometimes devastating floods. These floods cause loss of life, damage to property, and hamper economic growth.

Bangladeshis in Toronto

Bangladesh came into being in 1971 when the country split from Pakistan after a civil war. It was created as a secular state, but Islam became the state religion in 1988. Consequently, Muslims festivals such as Id-ul-Fitr are public holidays. Officially, there is religious freedom, but the legal system lacks safeguards for religious minorities. Indeed, the freedoms for religious minorities are being diminished as the Islamists are a growing population. In addition to the relatively sizable Hindu minority, a small percentage of the population consists of Buddhists and Christians.